North Harbour's preparations for the forthcoming Lion Foundation National Women's Soccer League were bolstered at North Harbour Stadium on September 17, as they overcame a visiting Queensland selection in a far more comfortable manner than the 1-0 scoreline suggests. The home team dominated the first spell, with defensive lynchpins Rebecca Simpson and Fran Ebbett little threatened thanks to the efforts of the black-clad trio in front of them. With Catherine Porteous at her combative best, Anna Barlow directing operations and Francesca Marcellino containing Queensland's creative threat, Melissa Andreatta, the visitors found penetrating Harbour's defences somewhat challenging, to put it mildly. Just twice did they break through, once in each half. On the first occasion, just before half-time, a probing through ball from Andreatta sent Toshina Roma racing through, and the striker checked inside two opponents before shooting straight at Jenny Bindon. The other scare Harbour endured came nine minutes from time, hard-working fullback Kylie Corcoran holding off the challenge of Harriet Steele to work an opening, which first-time passes from Sara Thomas and Emma Metcalf - a well-angled delivery - fully exploited. Through raced Roma once more, this time with Ebbett challenging. The striker fired her shot on the run past the post, and that was that, as far as Queensland were concerned in attack. Defensively, however, they were working overtime, and often found themselves on the back foot, especially when Caitlin Campbell was afforded the run of the right flank, which was often. The promising teenager exploited the open spaces at will in the first half, with her very first raid, in the second minute, culminating in a low cross-shot which fizzed across the face of Jaclyn Geall's goal. The next Campbell conquest, in the thirteenth minute, forced a corner, which prompted a neat interchange of passes with Porteous before Campbell's cross picked out Ebbett. The defender shot straight at Geall, but the keeper's aerial shortcomings were exposed in ruthless fashion just two minutes later, as Harbour opened the scoring. Barlow sparked the move, spraying the ball wide to Tekura Tutai, who released Campbell down the right at pace. Upon getting to the edge of the penalty area, the Waitakere City starlet delivered a quite delightfully weighted cross into the path of Nadine Hayle, who nonchalantly flicked the sphere past the flailing figure of Geall for the game's opening goal. It was a strike which Harbour's continued dominance fully merited. Just eight minutes later, Ebbett, Tutai and Campbell combined to create an opening for Barlow, who shot at Gleal. Three minutes later, the NZ Elite Squad midfielder was in again, after Tutai and Campbell had combined once more. But Barlow, after seeing her first shot blocked, sent the second searing over the crossbar. Only a vital headed clearance by Queensland sweeper Tamara Staub denied Hayle a second goal in the 32nd minute, after Porteous, Barlow and Campbell had carved holes in the visitors' rearguard once more,

Emma Metcalf and Rebecca Simpson Catherine Porteous Francesca "Pizza" Marcellino Tekura Tutai

while a thunderous dipping thirty-yarder from Porteous seconds later saw Gleal back-pedalling to tip the ball over the crossbar. Seconds later, the overworked custodian was pawing out an effort from Hayle, after Barlow this time gave Natalie Donze, operating down the left flank, the chance to prise open Queensland down that wing. Generally, however, she enjoyed little change from Corcoran, one of few Queenslanders who could be proud of her performance in the first game of a six-match North Island tour which concludes next Sunday. Another to excel was substitute Liathan Barlow, who added some much-needed steel and substance to a Queensland midfield in which Andreatta was all too often outnumbered. Her presence meant North Harbour's first half dominance was nowhere near as evident in the second spell, but they still engineered more openings, with feisty substitute Emma Kete proving a real handful for opponents who struggled to combat the more physical approach of their Kiwi rivals. Harbour's decision to run with a solo striker meant that when a shot could only be parried by Sharon Anderson, Queensland's goalkeeper for the second spell, there was no-one following in to capitalise. It was a source of frustration for Kete on the hour mark, after she had muscled past Staub to get a shot on target. Two minutes later, Porteous released Campbell down the right, the youngster driving in a cross which zoomed across the bows of the incoming Kete. Steele was backing up on this occasion, and retrieved the ball before turning it inside for Barlow, whose left-foot shot hit the sidenetting. Four minutes on, and Steele sent Kete careering down the left at pace. She cut inside before letting fly, forcing Anderson to turn the ball to safety. Then, twelve minutes from time, Marcellino sent Kete powering through once more, and after beating an opponent, she thumped a twenty-yarder just past the post. Right on time, North Harbour were denied the chance to double their winning margin by the woodwork. Steele sent Kete down the left, and the striker scythed inside two defenders before lashing a shot wide of Anderson. The ball smacked against the base of her left-hand post and ricocheted to safety, an action which prompted referee Matthew Cooke to blow time on a pleasing performance from United Soccer's North Harbour-based women's squad, whose first Lion Foundation National Women's League performance takes place on this ground, North Harbour's outer oval, in three weeks' time. Nth Harbour:     Bindon; Tutai (Nelson, 69), Ebbett, Simpson, Hogg; Campbell, Porteous (Scott, 75), A. Barlow, Marcellino, Donze (Steele, 46); Hayle (Kete, 46) Queensland:     Geall (Anderson, 46); Corcoran, Caldwell (Peel, 69), Staub, Walk; Metcalf (Peel, 19) (Metcalf, 38), Gleeson (L. Barlow, 41) (Graham, 77), Andreatta (Thomas, 75), Thomas (Duffy, 65) (Andreatta, 80); Roma, Messer (Graham, 19), Messer, 55) Referee:     Matthew Cooke